Green Oaks Primary School, Godalming, Surrey

[MummyWun]

Hello all!
We are looking to buy in Ockford Ridge, Godalming and the nearest school is Green Oaks Primary. I was wondering if anyone has any up to date info on the school. I read it had previously been under special measures and closed down and re-opened with new staff etc.
Also, would it be a given that my child would be sent there, or is there a possibility they could get into Milford School or Moss Lane?
This may well determine whether or not we make an offer on a house!!

this area has a bad reputation,I would advise you not to offer on that house--sorry

Its not all bad! There are some very deprived pockets that's why the houses are cheaper than the hideous Godalming average so do take care. Green Oak has had a lot of work and investment. I think it has a new "executive head" who used to be the head of Moss Lane.

Loads of kids from the area go to Moss Lane (which is superb in my opinion) but entry distances etc vary year on year and there seems to be more pressure on places every year so I wouldn't count on getting into A another school. You still need to consider junior schools as both Milford and Moss Lane are only infant schools.

At least you would be in the Rodborough catchment (last time I checked). That said we won't even look at houses in the area but I sometimes feel our snobbery is going to hit our pockets and we are being silly.

Three out of four local junior schools are in special measures / recently rejigged so somethings got to change somewhere and it could be Green Oaks is on the up!

Go and visit school and report back please

Green Oak has really small class sizes, the reception class photos were in local paper and I remember thinking wow

Hi, I just found this thread and am just pondering exactly the same thing! To put an offer on a house on Seymour Road (directly opposite Green Oak school) or not? I was just wondering what you decided to do?? I'm totally torn between the bigger house sizes here or giving up on having parking or much space to grow in to in the centre of Godalming. And I LOVE the look of Moss Lane infants, but how can I guarantee my DD can get in there wherever I live? All advice greatly appreciated :)

Hello, just found this thread and thought I would contribute. My son recently started reception at green oak school, when we first discovered that we had been sent there I was disappointed as we live in Milford and thought he would be going there. Having visited and subsequently started there I must say I think it is a great school. The teachers are very engaging, the children happy, helpful and polite and the school has a real sense of community. In addition to all this it has amazing facilities and its own small holding with pigs, chickens and poly tunnels of fruit and veg that the children grow and care for. It is a shame that people are still so negative about the school when if they only visited they would discover for themselves how much it has to offer. Hope you all managed to make your decisions about moving house, it is such a difficult decision to make without having to factor in the whole schools thing!!!

Hi carhou, we live in Elstead, and fully expected our son to be offered a place in the village school just a few minutes walk away, but have instead been offered a place at Green Oaks. Now it's been a year since your son has been at this school could you provide us with an update on your experience?

We're reading so many mixed reports it's difficult to know what to do.

Theholmans you might be able to private message carhou? I saw this this morning and wanted to bump it for you. The thing is carhou has her child settled in school and might not be looking at primary education anymore :)

I'm really sorry you didn't get a place at St James. In your position I would go on the waiting list for St J and Shackleford and keep fingers crossed. Always accept the offer you have it doesn't affect waitlist status. Did you get any sense of how many people are going to be waitlisted today?

I don't know anyone with children at Green Oak but I did notice that their KS1 Sats compared very well with all other local schools this year.

I only mentioned shackleford because its nominally closer not because of any negative feeling about Green Oak. Still a car journey though :(

Hello theholmans, sorry I haven't replied sooner, have only just seen your post. We are still very happy with green oak school, our son loves it there and is always looking forward to going into school. He has joined quite a few of the after school clubs so can't keep him away from the place :-) He is doing well with his learning and the teachers are all very enthusiastic which rubs off on the kids. They have a really lovely assembly after school on Fridays that parents can go to where the children and teachers talk about what they have done in the preceding week and there never seems to be a shortage of children putting their hands up wanting to show what they have learnt. My son has told me he is proud of his school and at present we are hoping to send our youngest there when he starts school in a year or so. Please feel free to pm me if there is anything else you would like to know :-)

Hi all

I have 2 kids at Green Oak, 1 in nursery, 1 in year 1. I moved to the area from London and didn't have any preconception when I viewed the school. I made my decision based on what I could see and feel, and I loved what I saw! Small class sizes, an enormous field, a small holding of animals with pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats. An Eco school, warm friendly staff, a well maintained school that clearly had lots of resources as everything looked well looked after and often new.

18 months later my first impressions prove to be correct, and I have discovered so many more benefits. The teachers are all passionate, loving caring individuals who work incredibly hard and are striving to make the school the best it possibly can be. There is a great Head and Deputy and there is a warm, inclusive vibe in the playground.

Most importantly both of my girls love the environment.

The only thing wrong with this school, is other peoples perception of it, which appears to me to be outdated and unfounded.

Never listen to other peoples opinions, always go along, see it with your own eyes and make your own mind up I think. I keep joking that Green Oak is Godalming's best kept secret.

I know it is a long time after this thread was started but I really wanted to add another positive voice to the debate. It would appear that people who know the least about the school are the most negative about it. As you can see, the people that go to Green Oaks thinks that it is great.

I have just put Green Oaks down as our first choice of school and am so excited about the prospect of my daughter going there. Already at nursery she loves it there and I am delighted with how things are going. We parents and our children are a mixed bunch, which is just as society is. I have been so pleased by how friendly everyone is and the great sense of community in the area.

The only extra thing that I can add is that actually this area is a lovely place to live too! I am over at the Aarons Hill side of the school rather than Ockford Ridge side but it is a great area. I love my massive garden and parking, and the town is still an easy walk down a wooded path to the station. I am not sure if the 'reputation' of an area is enough to go on. I was advised not to move here and love it.

Just to add, Green Oaks also goes all the way through Primary. I can imagine it would be a real pain having to worry about all this again in 3 years time!

Hi there! So strange hat I've come across this thread as I'm in exactly the same situation! My dd is currently at Bell House nursery, just opposite Moss lane school and we'd love her to follow on to moss lane school after nursery. We've also just fallen in love with a house in Ockford ridge and thinking of putting in an offer to buy this week, love the drive way, spacious rooms and huge garden which you definately don't get in the more desirable parts of godalming for the same money. I've only lived in godalming for a year and not really familiar with the town but what I've heard so far is that Ockford ridge had a bad rep, we are so torn and don't know what to do so am wondering: A - can anyone fill me in on this area of godalming, is it a real no go?? And B - is it in the catchment area for Moss Lane school? Much thanks in advance!

I read this thread a couple of years ago when we looking at moving to Godalming from SE London. We had seen a house in the catchment of Green Oaks and were put off by the bad rep and we ended up not moving for a variety of reasons. We are considering the move again to Godalming and have 5 and 7 yo girls at an outstanding primary school but want to move for more space/closer to countryside/closer to South West/less scary secondary schools.....Obviously I know that my girls would get placed wherever there are places so its good to hear people`s positive experience of this school ( although its probably over subscribed by now!). I have yet to work out how infant/junior etc works....

Okay, so it looks like our move to Godalming is happening...hopefully in July! I am aware that lots of schools over subscribed and so I am realistic that my girls will only be offered places in schools in vacancies. One of these is likely to be Green Oaks. I am reassured by some of the comments above ( I am also moving from London). If anyone has any more recent positive (and not so positive) experiences to share, I would be very interested to hear them. Feel free to PM me. Many Thanks

Indeed a nice post! Liked reading it. My 4 year old daughter will be soon heading to a Phoenix preschool at www.aseds.org/Page/Academics/Lower-School/Pre-Kindergarten . Looking for some good tips to reduce first day school nervousness of my kid as she is quite sensitive and attached with me.